B.S. in Construction Engineering

The Program

Construction Engineering involves the planning, design, and management of construction facilities, such as highways, bridges, airports, railroads, buildings, dams, and reservoirs. The construction of such projects requires the knowledge of engineering, management, economics, and business. Construction Engineering is differentiated from Construction Management from the standpoint of the use of math, science, and engineering to design projects and processes and analyze problems. Construction Engineering is involved in a variety of construction disciplines, including: commercial, residential, transportation, and infrastructure systems. Construction Engineers are also involved in the engineering design of temporary structures,cost estimating, planning and scheduling, material procurement, selection of equipment, and cost control. Due to their diverse skills, there is a very high demand for Construction Engineers.


The Department of Construction Management and Engineering offers a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering degree which offers a blend of engineering and construction courses. The program is designed for those who want to work in the construction industry and enjoy the status of a professional engineer. A thorough knowledge of the physical sciences, math, and engineering is developed during the first two years followed by construction management and engineering courses. The technical side of the program is balanced with requirements in writing, humanities, social science, and communications. The program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering degree is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.

Program Statistics

Enrollment Number: Fall 2016 - 44; Spring 2017 - 47. Fall 2017 - 52; Spring 2018 - 49; Fall 2018 - 54 (including 1 Pre-Construction Engineering); Spring 2019 - 48; Fall 2019 - 45; Spring 2020 - 39

Graduation Number: Fall 2016 - 1; Spring 2017 - 4. Fall 2017 - 1; Spring 2018 - 5; Fall 2018 - 0; Spring 2019 - 3; Fall 2019 - 8; Spring 2020 - 13

Program Educational Objectives (PEO)

Program educational objectives (PEO’s) are broad statements that describe what graduates are expected to attain within a few years after graduation. Program educational objectives are based on the needs of the program’s constituencies. Graduates from the Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering program are expected to be productive construction engineers who, within the first few years after graduation:

  1. Begin to serve in a middle-level project leadership role in their construction engineering career.
  2. Acquire and use new knowledge and skills in the construction engineering field.
  3. Be respected construction engineers who are valued by their peers, customers, and the general public for their technical expertise and ethical conduct.
Student Outcomes (SO)
  1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
  2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
  3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
  4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
  5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
  6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
  7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
Major Requirements

Major: Construction Engineering
Degree Type: Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering
Required Degree Credits to Graduate: 131
University Degree Requirements

  1. Satisfactory completion of all requirements of the curriculum in which one is enrolled.
  2. Earn a minimum total of 120 credits in approved coursework.  Some academic programs exceed this minimum.
  3. Satisfactory completion of the general education requirements as specific by the university.
  4. A minimum institutional GPA of 2.00 based on work taken at NDSU.
  5. At least 36 credits presented for graduation must be in courses number 300 or higher.
  6. Transfer Students: Must earn a minimum of 60 credits from a baccalaureate-degree granting or professional institution. 
    a. Of these 60, at least 36 must be NDSU residence credits as defined in #7.
    b. Within the 36 resident credits, a minimum of 15 must be in courses numbered 300 or higher and 15 credits in the major field of study.
  7. At least 36 credits must be NDSU resident credits.  Residence credits include credits registered and paid for at NDSU.

For complete information, please refer to the Degree and Graduation Requirements section of this Bulletin.

University General Education Requirements

Communication (C)12
ENGL 110College Composition I
ENGL 120College Composition II
COMM 110Fundamentals of Public Speaking
Upper Division Writing
Quantitative Reasoning (R)3
Science and Technology (S)10
Humanities and Fine Arts (A)6
Social and Behavioral Sciences (B)6
Wellness (W)2
Cultural Diversity (D)*†
Global Perspectives (G)*†
Total Credits39
*

 May be satisfied by completing courses in another General Education category.

 General education courses may be used to satisfy requirements for both general education and the major, minor, and program emphases, where applicable.  Students should carefully review major requirements to determine if specific courses can also satisfy these general education categories.

  •  A list of university approved general education courses and administrative policies are available here.

Major Requirements

Construction Engineering Core Requirements
CM&E 111Introduction to Construction Management and Engineering1
CM&E 200Construction Documents and Codes3
CM&E 204Construction Surveying3
CM&E 212Construction Graphic Communications3
CM&E 240Financial Cost Concepts for Construction Managers3
CM&E 301Construction Technology and Equipment3
CM&E 305Pre-Construction Management3
CM&E 315Specifications and Contracts3
CM&E 380Construction Estimating: Quantities and Costs3
CM&E 403Scheduling and Project Control3
CM&E 405Construction Support Operations3
CM&E 489Construction Design Capstone3
CE Courses:
CE 303
303L
Civil Engineering Materials
and Civil Engineering Materials Laboratory
3
CE 309Fluid Mechanics3
CE 316Soil Mechanics3
CE 343Structural Engineering and Analysis4
CE 400 Level Courses: Select 12 credits from the following:12
CM&E 465Bridge Engineering and Management
CM&E 475Design of Site Erosion Control
CE 404Reinforced Concrete
CE 408Water Resources and Supply
CE 411Design of Pre-stressed Concrete
CE 417Slope Stability and Retaining Walls
CE 419Pavement Design
CE 421Open Channel Flow
CE 430Timber and Form Design
CE 441Finite Element Analysis
CE 444Structural Steel Design
CE 461Foundation Engineering
CE 462Designing with Geosynthetics
CE 478Water Quality Management
ME Courses Required:
ME 221Engineering Mechanics I3
ME 222Engineering Mechanics II3
ME 223Mechanics of Materials3
Math Courses Required:
MATH 128Introduction to Linear Algebra1
MATH 165Calculus I (May satisfy general education category R)4
MATH 166Calculus II4
MATH 259Multivariate Calculus3
MATH 266Introduction to Differential Equations3
Additional Courses:
BUSN 431Business Law I-Contracts, Property and Torts3
CHEM 121
121L
General Chemistry I
and General Chemistry I Laboratory (May satisfy general education category S)
4
CHEM 122General Chemistry II (May satisfy general education category S)3
ENGR 402Engineering Ethics and Social Responsibility1
ENGL 320Business and Professional Writing (May satisfy general education category C)3
or ENGL 321 Writing in the Technical Professions
GEOL 105Physical Geology (May satisfy general education category S)3
or GEOL 106 The Earth Through Time
PHYS 252University Physics II (May satisfy general education category S)4
STAT 330Introductory Statistics (May satisfy general education category R)3
Select one from the following (May satisfy general education category B & G):3 or 6
ECON 105Elements of Economics
ECON 201
ECON 202
Principles of Microeconomics
and Principles of Macroeconomics
Total Credits110-113

Degree Requirements and Notes

  • A student must complete at least 60 semester credits of professional level course work in his/her program while in residence and enrolled in the college.  Students transferring into the college from programs with professional accreditation are exempt from this residency requirement but are subject to the residency requirement of NDSU.
  • A minimum 2.50 cumulative GPA is required for transfer students to be admitted to the Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering program.
  • To satisfy the Gen Ed Category B requirements, a student can choose between two options: ECON 105 plus an additional course within Category B OR ECON 201 and ECON 202. Both options satisfy the Gen Ed Category G requirement.
Plan of Study

Please note this is a sample plan of study and not an official curriculum.  Actual student schedules for each semester will vary depending on start year, education goals, applicable transfer credit, and course availability. Students are encouraged to work with their academic advisor on a regular basis to review degree progress and customize an individual plan of study.

Freshman
FallCreditsSpringCredits
CM&E 1111CM&E 2123
CM&E 2003MATH 1664
MATH 165 (Gen Ed R Category)4ENGL 120 (Gen Ed C Category)3
ENGL 110 (Gen Ed C Category)4CHEM 122 (Gen Ed S Category)3
CHEM 121 (Gen Ed S Category)3ME 2213
CHEM 121L (Gen Ed L Category)1Economics (Gen Ed B/G Category)*3
 16 19
Sophomore
FallCreditsSpringCredits
CM&E 2043CM&E 2403
Social Behavior (Gen Ed B Category)3PHYS 252 (Gen Ed S Category)4
MATH 1281COMM 110 (Gen Ed C Category)3
MATH 2593MATH 2663
ME 2223ME 2233
GEOL 105 or 106 (Gen Ed S Category)3Wellness (Gen Ed W Category)2
 16 18
Junior
FallCreditsSpringCredits
CM&E 3053CM&E 3013
CM&E 3803CM&E 3153
CE 3093CE 3032
CE 3163CE 303L1
STAT 330 (Gen Ed R Category)3CE 3434
 CM&E 4053
 15 16
Senior
FallCreditsSpringCredits
CM&E 4033CM&E 4893
4XX Technical Elective**34XX Technical Elective**3
4XX Technical Elective**34XX Technical Elective**3
ENGL 320 or 321 (Gen Ed C Category)3Humanities/Fine Arts (Gen Ed A Category)3
Humanities & Diversity (Gen Ed A&D Category)3BUSN 4313
ENGR 4021 
 16 15
Total Credits: 131

*To satisfy the Gen Ed Category B requirements, a student can choose between two options: ECON 105 plus an additional course within Category B OR  ECON 201 and ECON 202. Both options satisfy the Gen Ed Category G.

** Refer to list of Construction Engineering Technical Electives (CE 400 Level Courses) Minimum 12 Credits)

Gen Ed Category description can be found on the General Education page.

Admission Requirements

Prospective students can find university admission requirements for freshman and transfer students on the NDSU Website. Additional transfer student admission requirements can be found at the university transfer student website. A 2.50 cumulative GPA is required for any prospective student who has taken college level coursework to be admitted in the construction engineering program. Construction Engineering requires a minimum 2.50 cumulative GPA for graduation.

A complete Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering can be found in NDSU Bulletin. Additional curriculum information can be found in  Curriculum Guide, Course Descriptions (https://bulletin.ndsu.edu/course-catalog/), CM&E Course PrerequisitesCE Course Prerequisites, and Technical Elective Course List. After admitted to the program, each student will be assigned to a faculty member. The faculty member will work with the student to develop a plan of study, the road map to earn the BS in Construction Engineering degree.

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